The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1887-01-07
Five MILLION POUNDS
ny t. wEMrss REID.

'srhere is ono point on which. by the way,
1 should not like either yoa or Daisy to lie
under any Misrepresentation. Though 1t was
necessary, in case OF need, to place ID ,isy
under suspicion OF being the real murderer
Of Mr. Mauleverer. tners was not the slight
est intention Of putting her life in jeopardy.
That was your doing, my dear Mr. Fenton,
and you remember the hot indignation
which Flinter-who always had sneaking
kindness for the dear girl-showed when he
heard OF what must say was your fnex-
cusable rashness at Trondhjem- We wanted
TO create evidence against her. not that we
might ding her into the dock to take
her chance before jury, but in order that
we might have SONS means Of counteracting
the influence which unfortunately you
seemed TO have obtained over her, and OF
keeping both her and you in our power
But then, the best laid schemes. etc am
no mouse. however, even though on this
occasion my plans have gone agley.'
"Daisy Is the daughter Of a gentleman, a
man of birth, refinement and education, a
clergyman of the Church of England, who
died at Melbourne in 49, know nothing
of her family history, save that her name Is
Sheldon; but you may depend upon it that
"And now nothing remains but that
should say. Bless you, my children. and let
the curtain be rung down upon the playi
You will have Mauleverer's millions upon
which to enjoy yourselves-minus the COM
paratively trivial sum which my necessities
have compelled mo to appropriate; you will
have youth, beauty. good conscience, etc,
etc. Really, my dear Fenton. ] envy YOU
Pray, when you are happy, bear in mind the
fact that you owe your wife to me-
sand now. FAREWELL THIS Is the last time
you will ever hear of your sincere but UNI
repentant FRANCIS BRANKsoMR"
This extraordinary letter, which left the
mans character almost as much of an
enigma to me as it had ever been. did some
thing to clear away any remaining mystery
connected with the tragedy; and it con-
firmed my darling in the intention which sho
had formed that under no circumstances
would she touch the money of the man who
had taken her as his child and loved and
benefited her, under the influence OF the
fraudulent delusion impressed upon him by
Brnnksome. Legally, she was full mistress
OF all Mauleverer's wealth--thc amount of
which we soon found had been greatly
exaggerated. She made use of her powers
over 1t to transfer the whole sum to trustees
for the execution. Of the purposes which
Mapleverer had named in the will Ia never
signed.
And SO though married the heiress of
tie millionaire. got penniless bride But,
strange to say, ! have never regretted that
fact; nor, verify believe, would Daisy her.
self exchange her present lot for that which
she enjoyed when men crowded round her
eager to pay court to her as tho inheritor of
the rich mans wealth. The brightness Of
Our honeymoon, which came very soon after
those tragic days of which have written in
these pages, has never quite died out. Nay,
1t renews itself from year to year; and we
are fain to acknowledge that we are happier
now because Of the sorrows through which
we have passed together.
Mr.. Fosdyke, the clever attorney, had been
too clever for once. He knew nothing of tho
plot TO murder Mau.everer--of that the au-
thorities wero fully satisfied; but he had for
gotten certain elementary rules of his own
profession In his dealings with the rich mans
and so ons day he was struck of
the rolls, and consigned for the remainder Of
bis life TO poverty and ignominy.
What became of DIR. Branksone and his
Flinter, is a secret which time
has never revealed. The last word that ever
reached me from them was the letter which
the reader has now before him; tho last that
was ever seen of them was ON that gray
December morning when the Golden Hawk
slipped out OF Scarborough bay like a
shadow, never more to come within mortal
ken. Various are the rumors that have
heard regarding this arch villain whose dupe
I was along with SO many Others. Some
spoke of him as leading life of sybaritic
elfindulgencs in an isle of the -Egean;
others described him as being q prominent
leader in a revolution in the newest Of the
Central American republics, while there
was one s;ory--to which I myself attached
moro we ght than did to the rest--wh:ch
spoks Of the sinking of largo schooner
yacht, name Unknown, in the English chan
mel, by homeward bound p. & q. steamer.
during dense fog, some four-and- twenty
hours after the Golden Hawk left Scar
borough. That a yacht was lost, with all
hands, at that time, and that the Golden
Hawk has never more been heard of, are
facts admitted by everybody. But whether
il was the vessel which carried the sin-laden
soul Of Francis Branksome that went down
20 suddenly In the cold waters of the channel
IS one of those mysteries which will never be
revealed until the sea gives up her dead.
THE END.